Erling Haaland's pre-game advice and other Man City moments missed in Wolves victory
Manchester City comfortably swept aside Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon as they continued their Premier League title push.
The Blues were frustrated for much of the first half but managed to find the breakthrough at the best possible moment. A cross from Kevin De Bruyne picked out Erling Haaland to head City in front.
Haaland grabbed his second just after the break from the penalty spot. Wolves switched off at the beginning of the second period and were caught out when Ruben Neves fouled Ilkay Gundogan in the area.
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The match was over as a contest in the 54th minute when a misplaced Jose Sa pass fell to Riyad Mahrez. City's in-form man squared the ball to Haaland to score his hat-trick.
Here are a few things you may not have spotted during yesterday's victory.
Haaland receives pre-game advice
Normally when the City players are undergoing their warm-ups, they are left to their own devices. However, there was a change to that approach on Sunday.
Assistant coach Rodolfo Borrell was firmly in the ear of Haaland giving him plenty of pointers as the City team went through their pre-match routine. Whatever Borrell said worked as the Norwegian bagged yet another hat-trick.
Related video: Manchester City V Wolves Match In Pictures (Mirror)
Haaland surpasses last season's Golden Boot tally
Sticking with the Norwegian and the chances of him lifting at least one award at the end of the season look good. Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min scored 23 goals in the Premier League in 2021/22.
Incredibly, Haaland has surpassed that tally in only the 20th match of the campaign. Following his hat-trick over Wolves, the City man sits on 25 goals in the league.
City extend incredible statistic
Wolves did not have much of a chance of getting back into the game against City when you discover the Blues' form after going into the break in front. Pep Guardiola's men are now unbeaten in 33 matches when they have been ahead at the interval.
Julen Lopetegui's side have now lost all five of their matches when they have been behind at half-time. The last time City lost when holding the advantage at the break was May 18, 2021 when they lost 3-2 to Brighton.
City warm-up in limited edition strip
When it was announced that the Blues were releasing a limited edition Chinese New Year kit costing £70, there were plenty of eyebrows raised.
The kit sold out within a matter of hours even though it will never be worn in a professional match. But, on Chinese New Year, we got as close to that as possible when the Blues wore the strip during their warm-up.
Man City fans give Pep Guardiola something he's not always had vs Wolves
Manchester City hosted Wolves in the Premier League looking to respond to Guardiola's public criticism following the Tottenham win.
In his 'happy flowers' rant, Pep Guardiola's overarching message was for a collective increase in standards across the board at Manchester City. He felt that his club, at all levels, had become too complacent, too comfortable after four Premier League titles in five years. Even after a big win on Thursday.
As he took aim at his players' mentality and even the 'organisation', Guardiola criticised the City support for being too quiet against Tottenham and not demanding enough from their players. He felt that there was a reliance on City to come back from behind, even though that won't always happen.
Given Guardiola's uneasy history with commenting on how the fans have supported their team, that was certainly a risk. Against Wolves, however, the fans showed that the manager retains their unconditional backing.
ALSO READ: Man City player ratings vs Wolves
Tellingly, the City programme on Sunday carried a statistic that City are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games where they have fallen two or more goals behind. Unsurprisingly, that's a competition record.
The Blues didn't need to come back against Wolves, with the City squad rising to Guardiola's challenge with a better performance and more 'fire' that the manager had referenced. On Thursday, Guardiola asked who was defending Rico Lewis when Tottenham were kicking lumps out of the 18-year-old.
Guardiola compared City's passive attitude with the officials to Tottenham's regular surrounding of the referee, so four days later, you can bet there were always at least four Blues shirts around the nervous David Coote from the moment John Stones went down off the ball before a corner came in.
Maybe that set the tone for the crowd to also give Guardiola the reaction he asked for.
From the start, the noise from the South Stand was loud and consistent, with fans getting behind the side and encouraging the rest of the Etihad to join them.
As City started brightly, the fans matched the effort with their range of songs, but there was a natural dip midway through the first half when Wolves grew into the game and City's momentum slowed.
Was the early noise a temporary response before the 'complacency' returned? Guardiola's comments suggested he wanted the fans to push the players through those low moments, even if fans will feel the team must equally show something that is worth supporting.
It's also worth mentioning that there were plenty of times that fans did urge their team on after things had got a little quiet, which could have played a factor in the opening goal that came from a sudden upturn in tempo.
That opener changed things, and it was one-way traffic from then on. Erling Haaland's second-half double to complete his hat-trick removed the jeopardy from the game and allowed more of the back catalogue to get an airing. Overall, it was a louder Etihad than in recent weeks, so Guardiola's message must have got through.
Wolves fans attempted to mock with a rendition of '2-0 to the library' after City's second. Naturally, when Haaland scored his third, the home fans adopted the chant to sing '3-0 to the library'.
Works can still be done, and Guardiola may still want more encouragement during those lulls. From the stands and on the pitch, though, it was clear Guardiola's message was heard loud and clear. And there was a deliberate reaction from everyone who heard Guardiola's pleas.
By full-time, the Etihad was again singing Guardiola's praises, which is hardly remarkable for a loved manager during a comfortable win. Given the manager publicly called out the support, however, their backing of him suggests he has earned the right to include the fanbase in his list of criticisms for that to be received in the manner it was intended.
That's not a luxury Guardiola's always had.
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